Toy case



Feb, 9, i969 F, Dl Vozzl 2,924,373

TOY CASE med April s, 195'? 2 sheets-sheet 1 ffarvzey.

fr''w 150 F, Dl vozzl 2,924,373

` TOY CASE Filed April 3, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. jre 72 z''azzz' 'United States Patent() ToY cAsn Frank Di Vozzi, North Providence, RJ., assignor to Hassenfeld Bros., Inc., a corporation of Rhode Island Application April 3, 1957, Serial No. 650,481

5 Claims. (Cl. 229-44) The instant invention pertains generally to the toy art, and relates more particularly to the manufacture and construction of a toy traveling case.

A primary object of the instant invention is the provision of a toy case, the manufacture of which requires no special sewing machinery or the like.

Another important object of my invention is the provision of a toy traveling case so constructed as to eliminate the necessity of using metallic hinge plates and the like.

A further object of my invention is the provision of a toy traveling case of the character described constructed almost entirely of cardboard, but which is assembled in such a way as to provide an expensive appearing item and one which is durable and rugged in use.

Still another object of the present invention is the provision of a toy traveling case having a minimum number of separate parts whereby it may be readily and easily assembled, thus maintaining manufacturing costs at a relatively low level.

Other objects, features and advantages of the invention will become apparent as the description thereof proceeds when considered in connection with the accompanying illustrative drawings.

In the drawings which illustrate the best mode presently contemplated by me for carrying out my invention:

Fig. l is a plan view of a toy traveling case constructed in accordance with the instant invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation thereof with the cover in partially opened position;

Fig. 3 is a front elevation thereof;

Fig. 4 is a rear elevation thereof;

Fig. 5 is a section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 6 is a section taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary section, on an enlarged scale, taken on line 7 7 of Fig. l;

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary section, on an enlarged scale, taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 9 is a development view showing the blank from which the top and bottom walls of my case are constructed;

Fig. l is a perspective View showing the blank of Fig. 9 in its operative position;

Fig. ll is a perspective detail of the top wall per se of my case;

Fig. l2 is a perspective detail of the bottom wall per se of my case;

' Fig. 13 is a perspective detail of the bottom liner which forms` a part of my construction;

Fig. 14 is a fragmentary perspective detail, on an enlarged scale, showing the piping which is utilized in connection with my invention;

Fig. l is a fragmentary section, on an enlarged scale, taken on line 15-15 of Fig.,ll;

Fig. 16 is a fragmentary section, on an enlarged scale, taken online 16-16 of Fig. l2; and

. Fig. 17 is a perspective detail showing the cloth binding which is used to strengthen the-hinge of my construction.

It has been found desirable to provide a toy traveling case so constructed as to eliminate the necessity of utilizing special stitching operations and machinery and at the same time completely eliminating the use of metallic hinge plates and the like. Since toy cases of this general type are most usually constructed of cardboard or similar material, it follows that use of metallic hardware such as hinge plates and the like will create manufacturing problems in that the relatively weak cardboard must be strengthened at the points where such metallic hardware is Asecured. Furthermore, stitching of the cardboard ,to

assemble the various component parts of the case has proven to he both undesirable and expensive from a manufacturing standpoint. Thus, in order to overcome these disadvantages inherent in prior art construction and manufacturing technique, I have devised a novel and unique method of manufacture and construction for a toy traveling case wherein the top and bottom walls are constructed from an integral blank having an interconnecting web. The upper and lower side walls are securedto their respective top and bottom walls in a way which eliminates the necessity o-f stitching but which, nevertheless, gives the appearance of a stitched article and is just as durable and efficient in use.

Referring now to the drawings, there is shown generally at 10 a toy traveling case constructed in accordance with the instant invention. The case 10 is preferably constructed of cardboard or similar material and comprises upper and lower sections 12 and 14, respectively. Preferably, the case 10 is of circular configuration although it will be understood that any desired shape may be used without departing from the spirit or scope of the present invention.

The upper and lower sections 12 and 14 comprise top and bottom walls 16 and 18, respectively, said walls being part of an integral blank showngenerally at 20 in Figs. 9 and .10. As will be noted, blank 20 also comprises a web 22 interconnecting Vthe top and bottom walls 16, 18 and having fold lines 24, 26 at the points of interconnection. Intermediate fold lines 24, 26, the web 22 is provided with a transversely extending score line 28, the purpose of which will hereinafter be made apparent. Y

Referring now to Figs. ll, 14 and l5, there is shown upper side wall 30, which, as will be noted, comprises an elongated strip doubled back on itself at its lower edge 32. As will be seen most clearly in Fig. 15,` the inner surface 34 of wall 30 terminates short of the upper edge of the latter, and along said upper edge there is provided an elongated piping 36. Piping 36 is preferably a molded polyvinyl strip having a tubular vbeaded portion 38 and an integral depending ange 40, the latter of which is secured between the upper edges of the wall 30 and its inner surface 34. More specifically, the upper edge of wall 30 abuts the lower surface of bead 38 as at 42 and is secured to flange 40 by stitching 44. In addition, stitching 46 extends completely through inner surface 34, flange 4t) and wall 30 so as to securely assemble the upper edge portion. Since, as aforementioned, the upper edge of inner surface 34 terminates short of the' upper edge of wall 30, a channel 4S is provided between. the upper edge of surface 34 and the lower inner edge` of bead 38, the function of said channel hereinafter to be made apparent.

Figs. l2 and 16 illustrate the construction of lower side wall 50, which actually is identical in construction to upper side wall 30 just described, with the exception of the fact that it is of somewhat greater height. Thus, the

wall 50 is bent back on itself at its upper edge as at.52'

whereby to provide an inner surface 54 which terminates short of the lower edge of wall 50. Piping 36 is secured between the lower edges of wall50 and inner surface54.

by stitching 56 and 58 in such a manner as to provide an Patented Feb- 9, 1960L inwardly disposed peripheral channel 60 identical to upper i peripheral channel 48.

In addition to wall 50, lower section 14 of the case 10 also comprises an inner liner 62 which is nothing more than an elongated strip -bent back on' itself at its upper edge 64 to provide an outwardly disposed, downwardly depending lip V66, the sole purpose of which is to strengthen the upper edge portion of the liner member. As will be noted, outer lip 66 extends downwardly for somewhat less than one-half the height of liner 62, the overall height of which is somewhat greater than that of wall 50.

In assembling the aforo-described parts, the exposed periphery of top wall 16 is received within upper channel 48, while the exposed periphery of bottom wall 18 seats within lower channel 60. It will be understood that the length of upper side wall 30 and lower side wall 50 is such that when the free ends of these walls are brought together in abutting relation, the channels 48 and 60 will securely maintain top wall 16 and bottom wall 18 in assembled position. As will be seen most clearly in Fig. 8, interconnecting web 22 will maintain upper section 12 and lower section 14 in assembledl relation, and the hinging action between said sections will take place along score line 28. 1n order to strengthen this hinging action, a cloth binder 68 is preferably secured along the inner surface of web 22 and is secured thereto by any desirable means, such as gluing or the like. It is important that the cloth binder 68 cover score line 2S in order that the hinging action may be reinforced, since without such reinforcement, continual opening and closing of the case 10 may eventually cause tearing'of web 22 at its pivotal line. As clearly shown in Figs. 4 and 8, the rear portions of edges 32 and 52 are slightly spaced from each other so as to preventy jamming of said edges during opening movement of the upper section 12.

When assembled, and as clearly shown in Fig. 7, the liner member 62 rests on bottom wall 18,'and the upper lip 66 thereof extends substantially above the upper edge 52 of bottom side wall 50 so as to provide a peripheral centering ring for insuring proper positioning of upper section 12 during closing movement of the latter. In

other words, in addition to its obvious function of lending strength and rigidity to lower section 14, the liner 62 functions to insure that edges 32 and 52 will properly abut when upper section 12 is moved from open. to closed position. K v The free edges of walls 30 and 50 and of liner 62 all meetat the rear of the case to provide a common seam 70, and it is at this point that said ends are joined together, preferably by staples 72. It will be understood that the staples 72 not only join together the free ends of walls 30, 50 and liner 62, but they simultaneously secure said members to the web 22, and since some of them pass through binding 68, they also help maintain the latter in its proper assembled position. When assembling the parts by means of the fastening devices 72, it is important to space the edges 32 and 52 as aforedescribed.

The only other fastening means which have been found to be necessary in connection with my construction are provided at the front of the case and actually do not necessitate any additional parts since I utilize the handle and lock fasteners forths purpose. As will be seen most clearly in `Fig. 3, a pair of spaced brackets 74 aresecured to wall 50 for pivotally mounting a handle 76, all in conventional fashion. The brackets 74 are securely mounted in position by any desirable fastening means, such as c1ips78, which extend completely through wall 50 and liner 62, as shown in Fig. 6, so as to aid in maintaining the wall and liner in assembled relation at the front por,- tionofthe case; Conventional locking means` 80 are also provided at the front of my case, and the holding lugs 82 for said locking means lalso aid in securing wall 50 andhner. 62 together at the front portion of they case.

l 4 In addition, it will be noted that the upper locking lugs 32 (note AFig. 6) extend through -upper wall :wand hence help to insure that said upper wall and its inner surface 34 are maintained in close engagement. Thus, it will be seen that the only fastening means necessary in connection with the assembly of my case are providedat the casing front and rear, and the front fasteners do not comprise any additional elements but rather are simply the fastening means which form a part of the handle and lock construction. Furthermore, the only stitching operation which exists in my entire construction takes place in the assembly of piping 36 to side walls 30 and 50, and as will be obvious, this` is an extremely simple and inexpensive procedure which requires no specialized sewing machinery. Even this simple sewing operation could be eliminated, if desired, since the piping could be cemented or otherwise secured in place, but it has been found that this stitching provides an attractive and luxurious appearance to the completed case and has been found to be desirable for that reason. The piping 36, both at the top and bottom of the case, also adds to the attractiveness of the completed assembly and, in addition, acts as cushioning means when the casing is laid to rest on a supporting surface.

As heretofore mentioned, the instant case may take any desired shape and may be made of any exible, fold able material, although cardboard has been found to be preferable, both from a functional standpoint and from the standpoint of maintaining manufacturing costs at a relatively low level. In use, it will be understood that where cardboard is used, it may be provided with a leatherette covering for enhancing the appearance of the case.

While `there is shown and described herein certain specic structure embodying the invention, it will be manifest to those skilled in the art that various modifications and rearrangementsof the parts may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the underlying inventive concept and that the same is not limited to the particular forms herein shown and described except in s'o far as indicated by the scope of the appended claims. I claim:

1.'In a toy case of the character described, a top wall, a bottom wall of substantially identical configuration spaced therebelow, a web interconnecting said top and bottom walls at 'an edge portion thereof, vupper and walls each comprising an elongated strip, the free ends of which abut behind said web, Veach of said side walls further having a peripheral channel on the inner surface thereof for reception of the exposed peripheral edge of said top and bottom walls, respectively, and means for securing said strip ends to saidweb, the top edge of said lower side wall being spaced from the bottom edge of said upper side wall at their points of securement to said web.

2. In a toy traveling case constructed of a material having the exible, foldable characteristics of cardboard, a top wall, ya bottom wall of substantially identical coniiguration spaced therebelow, a web interconnecting said top and bottom walls at an edge portion thereof, lsaid top wall, bottom wall and interconnecting web consisting of an integral blank, upper and'lower side walls extending around the marginal periphery of said top and bottom walls, respectively, said side walls each comprising anv elongated strip, the free ends. of which abut behind said web, an inner liner -for said lower side wall in abutting relation thereto and of substantially greater height, said liner comprising an elongated strip, the free ends of which abut inside of said web to form a common seam with. said side wall strip ends, fastening means securing said liner and saidl side wall strip ends to said web, the topr edge of said lower side wall being spaced from the bottom edge of said upper side wall atr their points of securement to said web, whereby to expose a transversely extending portion of said web so that said exposed portion may act as a hinge during opening and closing movement of said case, a transversely extending score line `along said exposed web portion for facilitating the hinge action thereof, and a reinforcing binder secured to said web on one surface thereof and covering at least said score line.

3. In a toy traveling case constructed of a material having the exible, foldable characteristics of cardboard, a top wall, a bottom wall of substantially identical configuration spaced therebelow, a web interconnecting said top and bottom walls at an edge portion thereof, said top wall, bottom wall and interconnecting web consisting of yan integral blank, upper and lower side walls extending around and interengaged with the peripheral edges of said top and bottom walls, respectively, said side walls extending behind said web and being secured thereto, said side walls each comprising an elongated strip folded back on itself longitudinally so as to provide abutting inner and outer l-ayers with the free edge of the inner layer terminating short of the free edge of the outer layer, and an elongated bead having a depending ange, said ange being secured between said inner and outer layers with the bead in abutting relation to said outer layer free edge, whereupon said bead and said inner layer free edge cooperate to define an inwardly disposed channel into which the exposed peripheral edges of said top and bottom Wall extend.

4. In the toy case of claim 3, the top edge of said lower side wall being spaced from the bottom edge of said upper side wall at their points of securement to said web.

5. In a toy traveling case constructed of a material having the flexible, foldable characteristics of cardboard, a top wall, a bottom wall of substantially identical configuration spaced therebelow, a web interconnecting said |top and bottom Walls Aat an edge portion thereof, said top wall, bottom Wall and interconnecting web consisting of an integral blank, upper and lower side walls extending around and interengaged with the peripheral edges of said top and bottom walls, respectively, said side walls extending behind said web, means securing said side Walls to said web so that the portion of the lower side wall top edge which is located behind said web is spaced from the corresponding portion of the upper side wall bottom edge, whereby the space between said edge portions enables said edges to hingedly move with respect to each other without jamming during opening of the case, said top and bottom edges engaging each other in abutting relation for the remainder of their periphery when the case is closed.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,568,603 Klein Jau. 5, 1926 2,037,341 Scandore Apr. 14, 1936 2,093,296 Vincent Sept. 14, 1937 2,120,258 Moore June 14, 1938 2,649,238 Brooks Aug. 18, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 77,240 Denmark Mar. 8, 1954 

